Chapter 2 (Finals)

By
Stella Motl
June 2, 2017 at 12:56 a.m.Updated June 2, 2017 at 12:56 a.m.

Although I did not place past outside of the preliminaries, my family and I stayed to watch the rest of the competition. The 40 that progressed to there finals are extremely deserving. One boy said he'd been preparing for this "all of his life." You've got to root for a kid like that. Meanwhile we got on a water taxi to Old Town Alexandria, Va. after watching a few rounds in the morning.

I met another one of the spellers, who is also a dancer and a part of the American Ballet in New York.

Anaya Vinay, a 12-year-old sixth grade student from Fresno, Ca. won the national bee contest.

It's been a great experience. I thoroughly enjoyed watching the other spellers move through each round. It's quite evident that these kids have put countless hours into preparation and it's inspiring to see that kind of dedication.